7 smartphone photography tips | Take better pictures

Make the most of your camera and take better pictures with these easy smartphone photography tips.

1. Get to know your camera

You have a smartphone with a camera, so use it! The only bad pictures are those you don’t take. Experiment with shooting angles, take pictures you wouldn’t normally take and look for the unexpected. Play around with the settings to vary resolution, brightness, shooting mode and other functions unique to your native camera app. Practice makes perfect.

2. Get close and fill the viewfinder

Sometimes when you try to capture the big, all-encompassing picture you miss out on a really great photo. When you’re too far away from your subject, you get a tiny, unrecognizable figure and far too much background. Instead, make sure you get close and fill the viewfinder. Avoid zoom, which can reduce the image quality.

3. Remember the rule of thirds

You might be inclined to place the subject in the center of the frame. As unnatural as it may feel at first, use the rule of thirds instead. The thinking behind the rule of thirds is to break the frame into three equal sections, both horizontally and vertically. Some smartphone cameras have a setting that will place these lines there for you to see as you take the picture. The points where these lines intersect are where you should place points of interest in the frame. You’ll be amazed at the difference!

4. Get the right light

Natural lighting will almost always produce a better shot with realistic color than a photo taken with a camera flash, especially for portrait shots. If it’s cloudy or you’re taking a shot inside, look for strong artificial lights or ways to reflect what little natural light there is. Things like a large piece of white posterboard or a sunshade for your car dashboard can help illuminate your subject.

5. Take photos with people

A snowy forest or beach at sunset is appealing to the naked eye, but that doesn’t always translate to a great photo. Put people in your pictures. It makes photos more personal, more memorable and gives them a sense of scale and place.

6. Keep the lens clean

Is that a ghost you see in the picture? Chances are it’s a piece of dirt or dust on your smartphone camera lens. Make sure you keep it clean so that every shot comes out crystal-clear. A smartphone case can help.

Now with these simple smartphone photography tips, you’ll be taking pictures like a pro in no time!

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